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Saturday, March 12, 2016

Inspired by All the Little Things - Featuring Kate Lorenzini

Hi! Jeanne here this week! I'm so excited! This is my first post on Inspired by All the Little Things blog, and as Lesley's partner in crime I get to pick out the inspiration photo the second week of every month! Spring is in the air and I'm beginning to see little bits of green peeking up from the ground! I can't wait to see all the bulbs I planted in the fall bloom!

Time to meet Kate and find out a little bit more about her! I just know you're going to be smitten with her style!

1. What is the name of your blog? My website is called “Pinned & Penned.”

When and why did you start it? The idea started brewing way back in 2008 when I was sewing frequently and toying with the idea of starting a line of fabric goods. While I love sewing, I realized that I did not want create for profit given the time-consuming nature of it, and the fact that I would quickly come to dislike sewing if I did! However, I wanted a place to showcase my clothing and accessories, as well as my writing, so Pinned & Penned was born in 2011 on a different platform. Of course, after my re-entry into paper crafting in 2013, the focus changed to paper goods, as did the website, but the name stuck! And as a writer and teacher of writing, I do love sharing a poem every now and then, and crafting a good post.

2. What is your style of card making?Layered, and mostly contemporary. Whether it’s clean and layered, or a much busier piece, I really love playing with patterns, shapes, textures, and fonts. Shaping paper and making more architectural pieces that pop off the page is often a part of my designs.

3. Who inspires you as a designer?The first answer might surprise you--people who create with lots of delicious, open, clean white space! People who incorporate design principles of proportion, balance, pattern, etc. well because this is an area of learning for me. People who take risks that work, offer an unexpected turn or element in their design, or are witty. People who fit those descriptions? Joy Taylor, Jocelyn Olson, Aga, Therese Calvird, Maria Fischer, Keren Baker are just a few in my book!

4. What sort of things inspire you as a card maker? Photos? Sketches? Other designers?

Anthropologie. From the store windows to the clothes and home goods, I just love their aesthetic. Martha Stewart Living Magazine. Seriously! Can’t tell you how often I have an issue open to one of her gorgeous floral, food, or interior design spreads. Life in the PNW in general, and living on the beach—the colors, textures of nature are ever-changing and inspiring. And of course fashion. Have a whole Pinterest board devoted to compelling designers that I use for my creations-- love Runway Inspired Challenge!

5. Share something about yourself we may not know.

In 1999, I traveled cross-country in a big old (1950’s era) converted hippie bus called the Ark with about 25 other American and international folks for only $400. We departed from Boston, hiked the Badlands, got lost in Canyonlands, camped under the stars, swam in the Mississipi, met bikers in Sturges, bathed in the red-rock rivers of Utah, drove through the night desert to Las Vegas, and so, so much more in between, finally landing on the Pacific shores of San Francisco. It was my first journey west, and it changed my life.

Yay to Spring! And yay to Kate! Love that girl's works of art (and prose too). Always so deliberate. And I must say I'm honored to be included in that amazing lineup of designers who inspire her. Thanks, Kate!